Top Ten Tips For Learning A Foreign Language (Part I)

 

As a student and sometime instructor of foreign language, I have learned a few things over the years. These tips assume that you want to work on all four aspects of learning a foreign language (reading, writing, listening, and speaking).

1. Repetition is key. If you hear a word or phrase you don’t recognize and want to learn, ask the person who said it to repeat it, spell it, and explain it. Then try to use it yourself sometime in the next 24 hours.
2. Write everything down. If you are trying to learn vocabulary, it is not enough to just read and reread the list of words and translations. It’s been proven that we remember things better if we actually write them down. On paper, with a pen or pencil.
3. Use the script. I’ve studied three languages that do not use the Roman script, and it makes all the difference to use the script. Working with Romanized transliterations will detract from your engagement with the language and also with your pronunciation.
4. Watch TV. Or films. Or listen to the radio. Whatever. Even if you only get 10% of what’s going on or pick out a word or two here and there, it’s worth it. The benefits are huge. Learning a foreign language requires that you get used to the cadence and flow of the target language as well as the sounds that are not present in your native language.
5. Talk to someone monolingual (or willing to pretend to be monolingual). At least on occasion, you want to remove the crutch of resorting to your native language. If you always talk to people who are fluent in both languages (which has its own benefits, as I will discuss in part 2), you will be tempted to ask for clarifications. Instead, use your limited vocabulary and sentence structures in the target language to explain things. It will take patience on the part of your conversation partner, but will help you out a lot.

Click here to continue to Tips 6 to 10.